


Solemn Hour

by PailetteHazel



Series: Chronicles of a Hopeful Few [7]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Demons, El Roé, Fiends, Gen, Paladinship, Protection, Religious Themes, Season 0 season 1 and season 3, channel divinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26566462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PailetteHazel/pseuds/PailetteHazel
Summary: Delearys first learned about demons while she was still a young paladin at the Abbey. She has since then been fighting against them, and even prevented an army from taking her friend.  But with the mysterious things that have been happening lately, she might have to prepare to fight the forces of hell once again.
Relationships: Delearys of Aderyn & Faerryn Stamen Limu, Delearys of Aderyn & Sister Malaika, James | Cornelius & Delearys of Aderyn
Series: Chronicles of a Hopeful Few [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631809
Kudos: 3





	1. If we can't restrain the beast which dwells inside it will find its way somehow, somewhere in time

"Delearys?"   
"Yes, Sister Malaika?"   
"Can you tell me the three kinds of extraplanar entities?"   
The young student thought for a moment. Her red hair tied up in a noble elven hairstyle. "Celestials, Fey and… Fiends."   
"That is correct." The old elven woman smiled at her apprentice, her wrinkly yet still muscular arms clasped behind her.

"Celestials are servants of justice, just like we are." The paladin explained to the small group of mostly elven students. She paced back and forth on the cobblestone floor of the Abbey. "They can be messengers, or warriors, but will aid those with a noble cause. You can call upon them for help and protection." 

Her face fell, as she recounted her memories. "Fiends.. fiends are the opposite of all that is good and holy. They are demons, pure wickedness, evil embodied. They can come in different forms to curse you and make you stumble on your righteous path. Every one of them you encounter should be destroyed or sealed away, so they can do no more harm to innocent lives." 

The students nodded, sitting on the wooden benches with straight backs and big eyes, committing the words of their teacher to memory. One of them raised their hand: "And what about the third kind.. the fey?" 

Sister Malaika thought for a moment. "The Fey.. there are few characteristics that each being in this group shares. Generally, they're spirits, connected to nature. While not all of them are hostile, they have a love for trickery and deceit, and you should avoid them as much as possible." 

A short pause. Delearys could hear the birds outside. Sister Malaika continued her lesson. "Now, I'll show you how to create holy water." She walked to the shelves on the opposite side of the room and returned with a small pouch of crushed silver. "It will protect you and your allies if you ever come in contact with dark or demonic forces."


	2. Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour. Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us.

Run. Run. The sound of boots on stone and the Infernal calls of alarm sounded all around, as the party ran to the courtyard of the island prison. The dry warmth inside the stone halls drastically shifted into the cold humidity of the outside air. 

Delearys looks over her shoulder for a moment, then forward again. Machelle and Faerryn follow closely behind her, and Cornelius takes the lead: he knows the walls’ weak spot which he should be able to break through with his newfound magic. Aven is nowhere to be seen. 

The paladin feels panic well up inside her. Not only were they trapped inside the demons’ den, but the vague outline of a plan they had going in had also fallen apart far too quickly. The snarls and howls from the Cambrions fill the air. Delearys doesn’t speak the language, but can guess what is being communicated: Intruders. 

The small group comes to a halt in front of the high stone wall, with the low sun casting a red-golden glow over the entire island. Delearys sees Cornelius ready himself from the corner of her eye. Trying to summon the magic he only learned about a few days ago. The paladin herself slides her sword from her back and turns around, facing the army of fiends that was slowly starting to gather. So many, how could there be so many?

To her left, Machelle. The elven girl was still worn from the heavy interrogation, but on her feet nonetheless. Faerryn, on the other side, is weakened by the cruel training the cambions have put her and everyone of her kind through. 

“Where is your brother?” Delearys shouts. “I don’t know.” The water genasi replies, desperation in her eyes. Still, more Cambions were gathering. Strangely, they didn’t seem to attack just yet: they were just observing, weapons at the ready. As if they’d already won. As if they’re just waiting to divide the gains like a lion’s pride.

Then, the courtyard goes silent. Thunder rumbles, not too far from the prison, and Delearys sees Faerryn looking up. A booming voice fills the courtyard. “Let’s see who has caused such a stir within my prison” Delearys whips her head around, but doesn’t see the source: the sound seemed to come straight from the tower in the middle of the prison. 

She sees how Machelle trembles as soon as she hears it. Delearys readies herself, and she sees Faerryn do the same. Behind her, Cornelius curses softly at his sputtering magic. "What are you trying to do? Leave already? But you just arrived here." The voice continued, mockingly. Delearys saw a few cambions snicker amongst themselves. Then Faerryn spoke up. "Let us go!" And with a wide magical gesture, the darkened clouds above the prison started to slowly spiral.

"And leave your kin behind, little water girl? I thought you came here for him." At that moment, the army stirred, and a figure with blue skin was carried forth and thrown on the ground, grappled by tendrils of smoke. "Azuris!" Faerryn cried out, recognising her brother. A flash and a blast of lightning struck the tower. For a second, a silhouette seemed visible, of a giant form with two large, curved horns. Then it was gone again.

The druid had almost run forward and healed Azuris, had Delearys not locked eyes with her. "There's too many!" The paladin warned. "You'll never get to him in time, the army will take you both!" 

Delearys hated seeing the tears gather in her friend's eyes, hated having to be so harsh to her. But this was not the time for thoughtless bravery. A second lightning strike hit the wall instead, causing dust and pebbles to fall down. 

"I am not a cruel ruler." The voice, who Delearys now realised must be Asmodeus himself, continued, as if nothing had happened. "I am willing to make a trade for a safe retreat. With your brother." 

One of the cambions kicked Azuris, and Delearys heard a whimper next to her. But the noble was no stranger to backhanded compromises and strategic deceptions and remained in her readied stance. "What kind of trade?" 

"The young sorcerer," Asmodeus spoke. "Leave him here, and the rest of you will be free to go." Delearys snapped her head around to look at Cornelius, who had stopped his attempts at magic as soon as he realised the demon was talking about him. 

Delearys saw the small thief think for a moment. "I'll do it." He muttered, and then repeated himself, louder. "I'll do it if you hold your word and let the others go!" And he stepped forward, towards the tower. 

"No!" Delearys gritted her teeth. She stepped closer to Cornelius, with his messy hair and his blue eyes filled with determination. "We won't leave anyone behind." She turned back again, putting herself in between the waiting army and the young half-elf. 

"Delearys, we can't fight them!" He tried to reason with the paladin. "This way you guys will be safe. You know how many times I have escaped from jails!" "This isn't Newsprings, Corn." Delearys muttered, keeping her eyes focused on the army. "These are forces from the nine hells."  
"Exactly! We cannot fight them with just the few of us!" 

Delearys took a shaky breath. She knew he was right. She couldn't fight an army on her own. But that was just the thing.. a thought, a memory in the back of her mind reminded her that she was never alone. 

The paladin closed her eyes and grabbed her necklace, instead of lightly touching it like other times she called upon the power of her deity.. and started singing. 

_Kadosh, ka-ahdosh, kadosh_  
_Kadosh, ka-ahdosh, kadosh_

As soon as the words came over her lips, relief and then, a determined calmness washed over her. The necklace started glowing as the divine power started to fill every inch of her body.

_Adonai El Roé tz'va'ot_  
_Adonai El Roé tz'va'ot_

She continued singing the ancient words, her red hair flowing up and whipping around her like a raging fire. Her voice changed, now sounding like a singing crowd of hundreds of people singing in unison.

_Asher hayah_  
_V'hoveh v'yavo_

At that moment, gravity seemed to lose its grip on her and the paladin rose up into the air. The army, who had been watching in silence, gasped and some even tried to back up and away. 

_Asher hayah_  
_V'hoveh v'yavo_

As soon as Delearys finished the last verse of the song, she opened her eyes: they were glowing a bright golden glow. "Asmodeus." She addressed the fiend in his tower with her thundering voice. "Let those people go. They are under my protection." 

She raised her sword and slashed at the army of Cambrions, releasing a burst of golden energy towards them. The whole army fell apart, as the frightened fiends pushed and clawed to get away, fleeing away from the courtyard.

As the avatar of El Roé gently floated down again, they met the eyes of their party members. They too, seemed frightened of what their friend had become. The form of the paladin loomed over Cornelius, who was standing closest to her. 

"D-delearys?" He stuttered, the golden glow reflected in his eyes which were surrounded by faintly glowing freckles. "Do not be afraid." The being answered with a thousand voices. "No harm will come to you now." 

They looked over at Faerryn, who had run over to her brother and attempted to heal his wounds so that he would be able to get onto his feet again. Machelle had followed her and supported his other side, looking up at Delearys. 

The paladin continued, the voices now sounding softer. "The wall is weak. Use your magic to break it. Your friends are waiting on the other side." Cornelius nodded and concentrated on the spell. The blue flame emerged from his hands and collapsed the already damaged wall into a pile of blackened stones. 

Just in time. The gathered stormclouds finally fulfilled their heavenly promise, and soon the courtyard stones were slick with rain. The avatar, the party members and Azuris managed to cross the waters once again. 

Once the group was safely back on the deck of the ship, Delearys brilliant form faded. Her necklace stopped glowing and her hair came to rest on her back once again. Panting, but with a broad smile, she looked at her friends. "The blessing of El Roé truly is upon us!"


	3. Time keeps on slipping away and we haven't learned. So in the end now what have we gained?

Heat. High, whipping flames, lighting up the night and consuming the vessel the party had arrived in Ratou with. Flames, like the neverending fire of the nine hells. Flames, the same color her hair had often been compared with.

Delearys had difficulty sleeping. Whether it was the noise of the tavern patrons , or the adrenalin of what had happened this evening, she just wasn’t able to make her thoughts go to rest. She turned around in the cheap, small bed, which was no doubt a luxury to the average person passing through this port town, and thought. 

Cornelius- no, the being that had replaced cornelius, wasn’t hostile, or a spy. Delearys had to admit that sometimes, she almost forgot this wasn’t the original. The paladin felt the same sisterly- motherly? feelings towards him. And how could she not? That same posture, those same big, sparkling eyes surrounded by faintly visible stars, the same whine in his voice when he tried to get something she’d forbidden, claiming it could do no harm. Delearys wondered where the real Cornelius was. If he was safe. 

The paladin turned again, towards the window, and her mind drifted to the gossip she had heard upon first entering the tavern. Theories and accusations and conspiracies, one wilder than the other. But one of them stood out: the thought that aligned with her own suspicions. 

What if Asmodeus, or their henchmen, had really set their boat alight? Hindering their journey to gain allies, and trying to break their morale. Delearys felt an angry determination rise up in her. If that hellish demon thought he could stop a paladin like her… He would be mistaken. The party would get to Goldenrose and beyond, and they would fight the fight and win the war. 

Delearys turned in her bed, a bit more briskly.

She would need holy water. More than the small vial she had on her, much more. She would need to detect threats and protect her party members. What was it that Sister Malaika had taught her, so many years ago? Silver or iron..


End file.
